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Title: The structure and propagation of laminar flames under autoignitive conditions

Journal Article · · Combustion and Flame
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Combustion Research Facility
  2. Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW (Australia). School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering

The laminar flame speed sl is an important reference quantity for characterising and modelling combustion. Experimental measurements of laminar flame speed require the residence time of the fuel/air mixture (τf) to be shorter than the autoignition delay time (τ). This presents a considerable challenge for conditions where autoignition occurs rapidly, such as in compression ignition engines. As a result, experimental measurements in typical compression ignition engine conditions do not exist. Simulations of freely propagating premixed flames, where the burning velocity is found as an eigenvalue of the solution, are also not well posed in such conditions, since the mixture ahead of the flame can autoignite, leading to the so called “cold boundary problem”. In this paper, a numerical method for estimating a reference flame speed, sR, is proposed that is valid for laminar flame propagation at autoignitive conditions. Two isomer fuels are considered to test this method: ethanol, which in the considered conditions is a single-stage ignition fuel; and dimethyl ether, which has a temperature-dependent single- or two-stage ignition and a negative temperature coefficient regime for τ. Calculations are performed for the flame position in a one-dimensional computational domain with inflow-outflow boundary conditions, as a function of the inlet velocity UI and for stoichiometric fuel–air premixtures. The response of the flame position, LF, to UI shows distinct stabilisation regimes. For single-stage ignition fuels, at low UI the flame speed exceeds UI and the flame becomes attached to the inlet. Above a critical UI value, the flame detaches from the inlet and Lf becomes extremely sensitive to UI until, for sufficiently high UI, the sensitivity decreases and Lf corresponds to the location expected from a purely autoignition stabilised flame. The transition from the attached to the autoignition regimes has a corresponding peak dLf/dUI value which is proposed to be a unique reference flame speed sR for single-stage ignition fuels. For two-stage ignition fuels, there is an additional stable regime where a high-temperature flame propagates into a pool of combustion intermediates generated by the first stage of autoignition. This results in two peaks in dLf/dUI and therefore two reference flame speed values. The lower value corresponds to the definition of sR for single-stage ignition fuels, while the higher value exists only for two-stage ignition fuels and corresponds to a high temperature flame propagating into the first stage of autoignition and is denoted s R ' . Finally, a transport budget analysis for low- and high-temperature radical species is also performed, which confirms that the flame structures at U I = s R and U I = s R ' do indeed correspond to premixed flames (deflagrations), as opposed to spontaneous ignition fronts which do not have a unique propagation speed.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW (Australia)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); Australian Research Council (ARC)
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003525; AC04-94AL85000; NA-0003525
OSTI ID:
1429779
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1465808; OSTI ID: 1495913
Report Number(s):
SAND2017-5029J; SAND-2017-9879J; 653242
Journal Information:
Combustion and Flame, Vol. 188; ISSN 0010-2180
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 65 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (3)

Investigation of flame propagation in autoignitive blends of n -heptane and methane fuel journal May 2019
Numerical studies on autoignition and detonation development from a hot spot in hydrogen/air mixtures journal October 2019
Fuel wall film effects on premixed flame propagation, quenching and emission journal September 2018